Daily Ramblings – Wisdom Wednesday – Keep it Interesting

We’ve all tried to bunk our gym session or dance class. A single routine can get monotonous. That’s why I have decided to make my fitness regime fun by incorporating different workouts into my schedule. From dancing to yoga, I plan to keep it as interesting as possible so I’m never bored of working out.

I’ve read a few books recently that are about habits. The first was Atomic Habits by James Clear; the other was Elastic Habits by Stephen Guise.

I enjoy synthesizing information and coming up with uncommon connections between this data. In Atomic Habits a lot of attention is given to setting the prime conditions for habit formation. Elastic habits look to form a variety of lateral and vertical targets for daily habits. Both of these align well with today’s quote.

If you follow my workout routine every week, you can see the amount of variety that I apply to my workout routines each week. I do this because the variety is what keeps it interesting. My efforts in the gym are not about having a perfect body; my efforts are about feeling good and staying healthy. Some weeks are really intense and others are just going to the gym and knocking out the day’s workout.

The benefits we glean from exercise come with consistency. You won’t get any benefit from working out once a month. You’ve got to get in your exercise every day.

Besides consistency, we also have to keep in mind that we have lives outside of the gym. Some days you’ll be so busy that all you can do is get in a 10-minute walk. Some days you’ll be motivated to do your workout. On other days you’ll go through the motions.

The key to all of this is consistency. Let’s say you go to the gym every day for a month. Some of those days will be great workouts; others not so much. What would happen if you missed a few days? I would argue that you may miss one of those magical gym days when you are energized, focused, and just feel great. If you miss these days, you not only miss a workout, you miss a great workout. So keep going.

The gym is not the only route you can take. You can work out at home. You can take a long walk around a park or your housing area. You can lift weights. You can do cardio. You can do Yoga or Pilates. You can use dumbbells, barbells, machines, or cables. You can do supersets, compound sets, rest-pause sets, pyramids, or tri-sets. You can vary the body parts you exercise, you can vary the reps you push for, and you can vary the amount of rest you use. You can use a pre-designed workout routine, or even wing it. The point I’m making here is a workout done is better than nothing done, even if you only show up and do the minimal amount. Your consistency will build and slowly but surely, you’ll have a habit of exercising. Check that off your list!

Well, it’s time to say goodbye for now. I hope you have a great Wednesday.